1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a combustion-type power tool, and more particularly, to a combustion-type fastener driving tool in which liquidized gas is ejected from a gas canister into a combustion chamber, mixed with air and ignited to drive a piston, thus generating power to drive nails or the like.
2. Description of Related Art
A conventional combustion-type power tool generally includes a housing, a handle, a trigger switch, a head cap, a combustion-chamber frame, a push lever, a cylinder, a piston, a driver blade, a motor, a fan, a gas canister, an ignition plug, an exhaust-gas check valve, an exhaust cover, a magazine, and a tail cover. The head cap is disposed at one end of the housing and is formed with a combustible gas passage. The handle is fixed to the housing and is provided with the trigger switch. The combustion-chamber frame is movable in the housing in the lengthwise direction thereof. The combustion-chamber frame is urged in a direction away from the head cap by a spring, and one end of the combustion-chamber frame is abuttble on the head cap against the biasing force of the spring.
The push lever is movably provided at the other end of the housing and is coupled to the combustion-chamber frame. The cylinder is secured to the housing and in communication with the combustion-chamber frame. The cylinder guides the movement of the combustion-chamber frame and is formed with an exhaust port. The piston is reciprocally movable in the cylinder. While the combustion-chamber frame has its one end abutting on the head cap, the piston defines a combustion chamber in cooperation with the head cap, the combustion-chamber frame and the end portion of the cylinder, the end portion being positioned near the head cap. The driver blade extends from the end of the piston which faces away from the combustion chamber toward the other end of the housing.
The motor is supported on the head cap. The fan is fastened to the motor and provided in the combustion chamber. The fan mixes the combustible gas with air in the combustion chamber for promoting combustion. The fan also serves to introduce an external air into the housing when the combustion-chamber frame is moved away from the head cap for scavenging within the combustion-chamber frame, and at the same time serves to cool an outer peripheral wall of the cylinder. The gas canister is assembleable in the housing and contains liquidized combustible gas that is to be ejected into the combustion chamber through a combustible gas passage formed in the head cap. The ignition plug is faced to the combustion chamber to ignite a mixture of combustible gas and air. The exhaust-gas check valve selectively closes the exhaust port. The exhaust cover covers the exhaust gas check valve for directing the exhaust gas in the axial direction of the tool.
The magazine is positioned at the other end of the housing and contains fastening elements such as nails. The tail cover is interposed between the magazine and the push lever to supply the fastener from the magazine to a position of a moving locus of the driver bit.
In order to provide a hermetic state of the combustion chamber when the combustion chamber frame is brought into abutment with the head cap, a seal member (seal ring) is provided at a predetermined position of the head cap for intimate contact with an upper portion of the combustion-chamber frame and another seal member (seal ring) is provided at the cylinder near the head cap for intimate contact with a lower portion of the combustion chamber frame.
Upon ON operation of the trigger switch while the push lever is pushed against a workpiece, combustible gas is ejected into the combustion chamber from the gas canister assembled in the housing. In the combustion chamber, the combustible gas and air are stirred and mixed together by the fan. The ignition plug ignites the resultant mixture gas. The mixture gas explodes to drive piston for driving the driver blade, which in turn drives nails into a workpiece such as a wood block. After explosion, the combustion chamber frame is maintained in its abutting position to the head cap while the trigger switch is in the ON state. During this abutting period, the exhaust gas check valve is closed when the combustion gas is exhausted and a pressure in the combustion chamber becomes lower than an atmospheric pressure to maintain closing state of the combustion chamber. Further, thermal vacuum is generated in the combustion chamber due to pressure drop caused by decrease in temperature. Therefore, the piston can be moved toward its upper dead center because of the pressure difference between upper and lower spaces of the cylinder with respect to the piston. Such conventional power tool is described in for example U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,403,722 and 5,197,646. The combustion-type power tool does not need a compressor and a hose which are needed for a compressed-air type power tool, thereby achieving good operationality.